5 automation trends shaping the future of waste facilities

1. How is automated technology making material recovery facilities (MRFs) more efficient?

Newer front-end systems are becoming more automated. Whether they incorporate a trommel, ballistic separator or an augur screen to do an initial cut, these automated systems are often able to do a better initial sort so the manual sorters are able to be more effective.

Another area for improving sort system efficiency is increasing use of optical sorters that provide more opportunities to sort materials further down the line. Operators are often taking the residual stream coming off the container line and looping them back through for a second go for increased accuracy, to improve the output streams and to reduce manual sorting.

2. How are operators using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve sortation?

Where AI is starting to be increasingly valuable to operators is acting as the brain for automated optical sorters. AI operates on probability, so you can more easily dial it in to what you need.

When AI looks at an item, it says, there’s a 60 percent chance this is something we want, or maybe it’s a 90 percent chance. Taking into account the parameters of your end market buyer, you can turn that probability level up or down. If a vendor pays you more for a better sort, you could turn up that probability and make sure you’re getting the cleanest sort possible. But for a vendor who isn’t as picky, you could turn down the probability and get more volume.

3. What are some innovative ways AI is being implemented on the operations side?

AI is increasingly being used for data analysis to design better routes. You can input the number of vehicles and houses and ask it to maximize routes for speed or fuel efficiency. You could give it those scenarios and it’ll kick out a variety of options. You need to have staff that’s properly trained to manage those databases, but that’s a great application for AI so you’re not just throwing darts at a dartboard, guessing at what routes you think would make sense.

4. How can automation increase efficiency on-site, for instance with scale operations?

A common approach that’s increasingly being adopted is the use of RFID vehicle identifiers for common vehicles you would have the tare weights for.

In a fully automated system, these trucks scale in, the system reads the ID number and kicks out a printed ticket, they unload their material and then they can just leave the site. The trucks don’t have to scale out, because their weights are already logged in the system. It speeds up the process so you can increase the number of trucks that can be handled in a day.

Another way to handle scaling is through unmanned scale houses, or kiosks.

Either of these approaches let people on-site focus on managing the throughput.

5. How is all this automated technology making MRF jobs safer?

The more you have equipment sorting the material while the staff is tasked with maintaining the sortation equipment, the less risk they have for injuries.

A variety of personal detection safety devices are making the work environment safer as well, from transponders that can be clipped into every employee’s helmet to alert them to potential risks from geo-fenced equipment to technology that can chirp to warn someone if a vehicle is getting too close.